Berlin Wall & Cold War Bike Tour

Cycling along the Berlin Wall on a guided bike tour

The Berlin Wall was far more than just a wall. It embodied the pain of separation suffered by families and communities during the German division following World War II, and was the most potent symbol of the global struggle between communism and capitalism during the Cold War. On this guided bike tour, we let you experience the traces of the physical Wall that remain in Berlin, and we reconstruct for you this decisive and painful period of Berlin’s and Germany’s history.

Cold War in Berlin – A divided city

Few families remained untouched by the division of the city: parents were separated from children, lovers wound up on the ‘wrong’ side of the Berlin Wall and young people wishing to escape the restrictions of East German society had to risk their lives trying to escape over it. 

A guided bicycle tour along the former death strip of the Berlin Wall

Your guide will tell you all about the background of the Cold War and how it led to the division of Germany, but also about life in East Germany, escape attempts and more. The fifteen kilometer route takes in many of the important sites of Berlin Wall history, including the bridge where the first checkpoint of the Wall fell at Bornholmer Strasse in 1989, the Berlin Wall memorial, the government district, and even Checkpoint Charlie, the site of a dangerous stand-off between Russian and American tanks in 1961 as well as several spectacular escape attempts. 

See remains of the Berlin Wall on a guided bike tour

Along the way you will encounter one of the few remaining watch towers, the death strip, and hidden stretches of the infamous ‘Anti-Fascist Protection Barrier’ as it was called in the communist East. You will also see places like Mauer Park, where old portions of the Berlin Wall & No Man’s land have been redeveloped into vibrant centers of the city’s cultural and social life. 

The Berlin Wall – History and personal stories

There is a richness of stories about the Berlin Wall, life in East Berlin, the East German secret police (Stasi) and the days around 9th November 1989 when the peaceful revolution finally ended the days of the city’s division. Some of our guides experienced life in East Germany first hand, and can regale you with tales that range from the tragic to the funny to the absurd. Our guides knit together these stories and places to bring this utterly unique chapter of German and Berlin history to life before your eyes!

What you will see on the Berlin Wall Bike Tour?

• Life in a neighbourhood just next to the Berlin Wall – Prenzlauer Berg
• Zionskirche – the role of the church in East Germany
• Bornholmer Straße – site of the Fall of the Wall
• Melting pot Mauerpark
• Escape attempts at Bernauer Straße
• Berlin Wall Memorial
• Death strip & ghost station at Nordbahnhof
• Former watch tower at Kieler Eck – now Günther Litfin memorial
• Government District & Brandenburg Gate – where Berlin grows together
• Checkpoint Charlie
• The Palace of Tears – checkpoint Friedrichstraße

Our guides adapt the Berlin Wall Bike Tour to weather conditions, participants’s interests, street closures and sometimes their own preferences. Changes and deviations are possible.